5 Tips for Better Engagement on Instagram

We all want more followers and likes on Instagram. We constantly search for tips and tricks to boost the content we post. Here are 5 tips for better engagement on Instagram to help you get more followers, interaction and hopefully more clients:

Instagram Stories

Instagram stories is a great way to give your followers and potential followers a behind the scenes look into you and your business. Like its rival SnapChat, Instagram stories disappear after 24 hours. You can “pin” key stories to your account which allows users viewing your profile not only able to see your feed, but also to some of your behind the scenes access. With Instagram stories you can also add stickers such as polls, hashtags, geolocations which adds to more interaction with your profile. And if you have over 10k followers you can a link option where you can link stories to your website, blog or products in your store.

Hashtags

You can’t think about Instagram without thinking about hashtags. Those little guys that help users who aren’t following you to find your content. Instagram allows you to use up to 30 hashtags per post. Use only hashtags that are related to the content you post. A little trick is to type in the search bar a keyword and then Instagram will then show you hasthtags with that word and the number of posts using that hashtag. Don’t select hashtags with low posts because you want more reach and using a tag associated with only 3 posts isn’t going to help you. Be local with your hashtags. If you live in Miami make sure #Miami and related tags such as #Miamiweddingphotographer, #miamiphotographer etc. I have a set of 10-15 hashtags that I use in every post and I have them saved in Evernote. When I post I just copy those hashtags and insert them into the post. Another tip is to use your business as a hashtag like #jcruizphotography in all your posts. When people click on it they can see all your posts. That is why we post on Instagram right? For more reach, more likes and more followers.

Be More Social

It’s social media so why not be more social? Instagram’s algorithm checks to see if you’re only posting content and not interacting with other people’s profiles. The more you like, comment and follow people the more reach your posts will have thanks to Instagram’s algorithm. Every time I use Instagram I make it a point to like at least 10 people’s posts, comment 10 times and I try to follow 2-5 new people. People tend to be curious to see who just followed them or liked their photo and they’ll click your profile to see what you’ve posted and who you follow. They may just follow you back and the more this happens the more reach your future posts have and who doesn’t like more reach on Instagram?

Fix Your Feed

You may be asking yourself, “What does he mean fix my feed?” To be aesthetically pleasing to potential followers to your account you want to present a theme if you will with your content. If you’re a wedding photographer using Instagram to get new business you want to show them your best wedding work. Posting photos from your trip to the local farmer’s market or posting about your car in the shop isn’t going to get the your profile and content to reach your potential customers. If you want to create a second, third or fourth account you can and add those freshly picked peppers to your feed, but don’t post them on your wedding photographer account. That should be strictly your photos from the weddings your photographed. You’re trying to attract potential clients and nothing sends people running away quicker is a feed that is all over the place.

Know Your Audience

If you have an Instagram business account then you get something called “Insights” which is located on your account page in the drop down menu. This little gem tells you what activity is happening on your account such as profile visits and the number of accounts reached from your posts. It also breaks down your top performing posts for the week as well as any stories or promotions you might be running. The best thing though is the audience tab. This provides info about your users such as where they live, their age and gender, but the most important info is the bar graph saying when your users are most active. If you’re posting photos at 7am, but the majority of your users are more active at 3pm then you’re post isn’t going to get much traction. Post daily and when you’re users are most active and more likely to like your content.

Using these 5 tips for better engagement on Instagram isn’t going to get you a thousand followers over night. You have to continue to post, comment and message and over time your likes and followers will grow. If you are looking to follow more photographers, check out these 10 photographers on Instagram you may not know of yet. While you’re on Instagram, don’t forget to follow my Instagram Account.